The jacket
by jjjanimefan1
Summary: 'The leather jacket felt heavy against his body. Constricting, like it had been made to fit someone else better. Anyone else.' Takumi struggles with the expectations he feels as he decides to join the Front of the Armament. Shougo always lurks in the background.
1. Chapter 1

The leather jacket felt heavy against his body.

Standing in the small room in the Umehoshi boarding house and looking at the mirror, Fujishiro Takami couldn't help feeling that there was something wrong with his reflection. His arms felt constricted, trapped in the folds of the leather, as if he were wearing something, which would fit someone else better.

He took of the jacket and put it in a paper bag. His decision was now almost final, but that didn't mean everybody had to know about it.

Shrugging off Masashi's questions wasn't hard .He never pried in the business of his tenants, even if he teased him good-naturedly about a date. Fighting off De Niro's overenthusiastic affections, Takumi was reminded of the life he had built in the Umehoshi household, a life he might be giving up. It didn't matter now. He just needed to find Hana.

Just then, the sound of a melody reached him. There was only one person who would sing 80s soul songs in the middle of the street. Hana-chan didn't have a bad singing voice exactly; it was just that the songs he chose to sing were a little bit…funky.

Hana's greeting was loud and he sounded very happy to see him. Then again, Hana gave everyone that feeling. People liked him because he accepted them just the way they were. Once you became a part of Hana's family, you were there for life. At least, that's what he was hoping for.

Honestly, why did everybody think he had a date? He wasn't that demonic Guri-Guri!

_I've been thinking of joining The Front of the Armament._

So the moment of truth had arrived. Takumi held the jacket in front of him like a shield, hiding from the anger and betrayal that was surely written in Hana's eyes. However, when he lowered the jacket, the expression on his friends face was nothing like he expected. Hana didn't even seem surprised, just thoughtful. It seemed like an eternity had passed in the few moments the strongest man in Suzuran studied him.

Then his expression softened and turned into a full blown Hana grin. A matching grin appeared on Takumi's face. Strangely, the jacket in his arms felt a little bit lighter.

As soon as he turned the corner, he dialed Kim's number on his phone and in no time at all, he found himself bowing before Kiyohiro. There was no condemnation in the expression of the interim Armament head, he only joy and approval of his choice.

When he walked out of the room he realized that the jacket didn't feel so foreign to him anymore. Still constricting and hard to move in, but not so unfamiliar anymore, now that Hana's smile was sharing the weight and Kiyohiro's approval had softened the seams.

There were still some matters to attend to, before he could call the jacket completely his. First he had to meet with his informants, promising information about the Jet Black Scorpion and the ongoing war. Then he had to stop said war, so that there would still be an Armament for Shougo to return to.

Only then would he go to Shougo and bring him home. He would find his best friend and make him his leader.


	2. Chapter 2

The jacket felt much too warm, even in the rapidly cooling evening.

As Takumi walked down the path to the Umehoshi household, he tried to imagine what his roommates were doing right now. Had Hana told them of his choice? Were they angry?

Tora probably wasn't a cause for worry. He had a big heart and an easy acceptance that always soothed the trigger-happy members of Umehoshi. But Hana's approval and Tora's acceptance might not be enough to convince Sakota and Renji. They probably wouldn't take his joining the Armament very well and he might be walking to his own beating.

His worried thoughts came to an abrupt stop when he spotted two silhouettes up ahead. Sakota and Renji faced him almost at the same time with matching stony expressions, which caused his stomach to tighten in apprehension.

Three teenagers stood in a circle under the streetlamp. Not an unusual sight to anyone passing by on a Friday evening, returning home from work. They might pause a moment over an obnoxious hairdo, or a disfiguring scar, or a leather jacket with a frightening skull, but that would only make them scamper away faster, oblivious to the silent words floating between the three delinquents.

It's funny how symbolic lighting a cigarette could be. With Sakota's burning support underneath his fingertips and Renji's smoky acceptance disappearing in the evening air, he felt invincible.

Sakota's words didn't surprise him because the man was always thinking about fighting. What surprised him was that the jacket suddenly didn't feel too warm anymore. In fact, the boys quickened their steps to get inside the bright house where Hana was already waiting with delicious cups of ramen.

Outside, the chilly wind carried the shriek of a fighting owl.


End file.
